Advantages

Disadvantages

A surprisingly good facial wash for dry skin. Pity about the scent.

Christmas is a time of giving isn't it? Well the weather has certainly given me the starter of a head cold! Cold, harsh winds at winter time are no good for my face either, even with the lower half of my chin and neck covered up by thick woolly scarves, it's the cheek bones and the forehead before my winter cap that gets the worst of it and dry skin isn't an infliction I usually have - unless its set within the driest and coldest seasons. Help usually comes to hand in the form of expensive dry skin facial care treatments but this time I thought I would try the latest pound shop alternatives. In the past I've used Cuticura moisturising cream and have had mixed results, often preferring to use their claimed facial cream as a hand moisturiser as I tend to find their moisturising cream can be too sticky. Cuticura's 150ml facial wash for dry skin however appears to be a new product and priced at a mere £1 it isn't a product that I'm likely to lose a lot of money on if it doesn't work. Some online shops are selling this product at £3-99 or £4-99 but I've also seen it in our local cheap chemist type "Semi-Chem," at 99p or infact anywhere that sells a long list of different "budget" Cuticura toiletries.

Cuticura's product contains well known Glycerin and less known Allantoin, an additive I'm not that clued about, having used other expensively priced dry skin treatments in the past that are Shea butter or Coconut butter based. A quick search on Google reveals the nasty part of Allantoin - it's a by-product that grows within most mammals (except Humans and certain Apes), certain plants (anyone into Chamomile?) and also found in Cow urine. How lovely! Don't knock it just yet because Allantoin is also used in Oral care and is a safe and non-toxic formula. It is also a product that can be found in many lotions for dry skin as well as being useful for things like chapped skin, sunburn and even nappy rash. Thanks to its moisturising properties, this chemical compound also softens keratin in the skin, which strengthens it.

When I bought this near Christmas time I wasn't expecting huge results to be honest and thanks to the influx of heavy snow, icy breezes and falling temperatures it was the right time to test this product out fully, particularly as my forehead gets the worst of red and dry, flaking skin. An old fashioned blue twist off cap on the squeezy tube proves to be annoying as it can get lost over time, rather than a more modern flip cap that reveals grainy like cloudy white off cream. Okay I'll be honest; it's not even close to looking very luxurious, but then, that's not the point here. The scent here is rather flowery mixed with cheap cologne and at best I find that the scent dies down a couple of minutes after I've used the product although I'm not a fan of it.

Applied to wet skin, the cream is quite thick and smooth without feeling too sticky or slimy. For a facial wash, the cream doesn't lather up very well but then I find that almost all dry skin facial washes tend to be lather free. Afterwards when rinsing off and towelling down my face feels very smooth and a little refreshed from the cow pee peel whilst no irritating red patches of dry skin are visible. What a delight!

Although this product is marketed to be used daily and does actually carry the "daily," wording in smaller beige/gold lettering below the large font showing the word, "Dry Skin," in huge capitals on it's beige and blue background, I tend to use the facial wash once every day and usually in the morning. I don't use it in large clumps either, really only allowing drops of the facial wash sparingly rather than a huge blob. I don't wear makeup so I can't comment on whether it removes make up but this facial wash doesn't cause my skin to ache, the pores don't feel as if they have closed up and that for me, is a god send! Importantly however it absorbs into skin easily and washes off with as much instant impact the moment water hits my face. After using the facial wash I find there's no need to add any moisturiser either and what a change that is! What a pity then that Cuticura haven't stated whether this product is hypoallergenic or not - and I have a feeling that it isn't.